Best place / your favorite place to buy teaware?

I was going to list all these out separately, but then I realized that I am WAY too lazy for that. So I am just gonna +1 this. Great list, looseTman. I am especially fond of Dragon Tea House. :)

You’re welcome!

2nd that. In Toronto I have found Gaiwan in various sizes from 2-5$. One store often has 200ml yixing pots for $15. Large yixing cannisters for pu-ehr for about 9$. Sharing pictures 3$. Etc. I have also seen some very nice ceramic sets, ceramic and metal teatrays and higher quality yixing and Tetsubin.

+1 Always a good idea worth exploring. However, this assumes one lives near a local Chinatown.

Very true. But even in smaller towns some Chinese and Japanese grocery stores have housewares. The town where I went to University in had one family run store and they had a whole floor of housewares.

How I wish we had a Chinatown or even a larger Asian grocery store. :)

yyz – I’d be very interested in learning where in TO you have gotten your goodies.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

I don’t really know the names of most of the stores but I am happy to describe them to you. Most of them are within a three block radius of Dundas and Spadina.

Along Spadina: North of Dundas on the west hand side.

1. Around half a block up there is a housewares store. It’s fairly large and a lot of restaurants get stock there. They often have bamboo items out front. This is the store with lots of plates and kitchenware. They carry. 200ml stoneware Gaiwans in white and or red and yellow medallion patterns for $5.00. They also carry yixing pots from time to time for 15.00. These are usually on the left hand side of the double row where they have plates. They sometimes have enamelled Tetsubin for between 16-50.00. These are Chinese made but contain detailed iNFO about the factory they are made at. If you look at the section where they carry ceremonial items they sometimes have fancy porcelain Gaiwans.

2. About two blocks up at the second entrance into Kensington Market, the housewares shop on the corner often has tea sets.

3. A few store past the above at the shop that specialises in Bamboo there is another selection of Tetsubin.

South of Dundas Many of the gift shops have small (50-80ml) Gaiwan.

On the eastern side of the road there is the China Arts store that sells Bonsai they have a selection of yixing pits in the centre of the store where the owner sells some looseleaf teas.

The last housewares shop ( the two floor one) before you hit Spadina often has Gaiwans, those multi npiece porcelain teasers with the porcelain tea trays, basket tea steepers and strainers.

Dundas east of Spadina, a lot of the stores that sell tourist souvenirs on the North side have small Gaiwan. The two stores that I have bought from the most on Dundas are the last Apothecary heading east. It is street level and advertises products for reflexology, acupuncture, and TCM. I bought 150ml glass Gaiwans for 5.000 and a sharing pitcher for 3.00. They often have fancy tea sets and cups for sale with sets starting around 20.00 and going up to past 100.00.

The second store is on the North side and is one of the last stores selling Chinese goods. It is past TenRen ( cross the street and continue on) but I don’t think it is quite as far as the Lucky Moose grocery store. It is on the second floor and is Cash only. They have glass Gaiwan 150ml for 2.00, small porcelain Gaiwans and tea sets, and if you head to the back section of the store they often have simple unglazed cannisters for puerh starting at about 15.00. I have sometimes seen metal gongfu tea trays there. They are cash only, and are again on the North side. Sorry that I don’t know any of the names but I hope this helps!

Wow, many thanks for the info yyz! I thought that I had a good handle on Chinatown shops, but you have surpassed me by a country mile. I’ll take your suggestions with me next time I go to Chinatown.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

You’re welcome!

John, mine is roughly the size of a laptop. I am very happy with that size.

Where did you get it? How much was it? How big is that cm wise? (Questions… Sorry lol:P)

I bought this one, I like it a lot.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111311495360?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I looked for a long time before I bought, it was bigger than many of them you see on ebay, I liked the cherry finish, and I decided that I liked the plastic inner tray rather than the water falling onto wood, because I think the tray will have more longevity this way. The price was also right.

Too bad there’s just one of those out there (although 17 days shipping would be killing..)

Pretty stuff!

Thank you for all the links, I see a lot of stuff I love!

Your Welcome!

I’d like to do their workshop/trip they have once a year if I could afford it!

I know, that would be an amazing trip. I usually never go on group/guided vacations,but I think I would enjoy that one.

nope, they are a Japanese chain so I haven’t seen any gaiwans. A couple times I thought I saw gaiwans, but turned out it was a lidded custard cup (and wouldn’t work to use like a gaiwan)
They seem to always have kyusu tea pots though.

Didn’t think so, but I thought I saw something similar.